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'You can keep it' mantra explained

Obama links immigration, business

That’s not to say that Obama and his aides have pivoted away from health care. They’re happy to talk about the benefits of the law — not that they have much choice in the matter — and they understand that they won’t be able to divert media attention away from the failure of the website anytime soon.

But they don’t want the public to think that’s all they’re focused on — or even that it’s the overriding priority. The message has filtered down from the top ranks in the West Wing that the president’s aides are expected to focus not just on health care but on the myriad other issues on Obama’s agenda.

“As is the case with any White House, we obviously have a lot of issues we’re addressing at the same time,” press secretary Jay Carney said Monday. “The principal organizing focus of this White House as directed by the president has always been the economy and job creation and middle-class security.”

Obama believes he can walk and chew gum — and, if he’s lucky, enroll in a health insurance plan from his iPad soon.

He used his Saturday radio and Internet address to talk about the economy and the budget. On Sunday, he posted an op-ed on The Huffington Post on why Congress needed to pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which would make it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the workplace.

On Monday night, he rallied supporters with a health care speech Monday at an Organizing for Action summit. He’ll meet with business leaders Tuesday on immigration reform. On Wednesday, he’s back to health care with a visit to a Dallas congregation active in signing up consumers. And on Friday, he heads to New Orleans for an event on the economy.

For Obama, the message-balancing effort serves as a signal to Democrats that he’s taking action on items that matter to them, even as he tries to quell the furor over Obamacare. There’s a lot at stake: The rest of his presidency rests on his ability to keep the confidence of Democrats, who have stood in line behind him for five years. If the site doesn’t get fixed, he risks his credibility with them.

“You really have to make sure that your base doesn’t get away from you,” said Tom Griscom, White House communications director during President Ronald Reagan’s second term. “You know where your political opponents are. But if your base ever starts eroding, you’ve got some real problems.”

And Democrats on Capitol Hill — particularly lawmakers in tightly contested Senate and House races — are furious over the White House’s handling of the health care rollout. The calendar suggests that won’t change anytime soon.

The White House faces significant deadlines every two weeks for the next two months. The administration has pledged to release the first wave of enrollment numbers by Nov. 15 and substantially fix the website by the end of the November. Then, there could be a rush to enroll in the program by the Dec. 15 deadline that would allow consumers to begin receiving coverage by that Jan. 1 start date.

The series of quick-fire benchmarks ensure that the media will remain focused on Obamacare through the new year. That means the White House can’t avoid talking about the problems with the health care law’s implementation.

“You ought to be careful not to dangle the keys and say, ‘Over here, not over there,’” said Jared Bernstein, a former economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden. “But it is not only legitimate, it is essential to return to the underlying economy.”